A morning in Donaghmore with the Tyrone U17s and Feargal Logan was looking for Padraig Hampsey, beating out messages on the jungle drums loud enough to be heard in Coalisland. It was the day of great reckoning for the young and gifted of Tyrone football, with fitness tests and a meeting to settle on a captain. Logan already had Hampsey in his head for the job, but he wasn’t there.

Mornings like these provoked questions. Was Hampsey a footballer or a boxer? The answer was inconclusive. How far could either sport take him? When trials for the Tyrone minors were held the previous winter, Hampsey was at a boxing tournament in Florida. He had won a few Ulster titles and made two national finals, bust…

Want to read more?

Subscribe now and get unlimited digital access on web and our smartphone and tablet apps, free for your first month.